Month: November 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo s Euro 2024 hopes were dashed as Portugal lost 5-3 to France in a penalty shootout following Friday s 0-0 draw in Hamburg.

With the substituted Kylian Mbappe watching on from the sidelines, Les Bleus set up a semi-final with Spain as they converted all five of their spot-kicks.

The decisive miss came from Portugal s Joao Felix, who struck the woodwork with his attempt.

And there was to be no heroics from Diogo Costa on this occasion, as Theo Hernandez coolly dispatched the winning penalty.

The pre-game expectation of a tight, cagey contest proved correct, as for just the second time on record at the Euros (since 1980), neither team managed a shot from inside the box in the first half – the other match was also France v Portugal, back i…

Manchester United are interested in signing Benjamin Pavard from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Italian journalist has claimed on Twitter that Premier League club United have made contact with Bundesliga champions Bayern about a potential deal for Pavard.

Bayern have told United that they do not want to sell Pavard. However, the 27-year-old France international wants to leave Bayern and will not sign a new contract with the German and European powerhouse. The Red Devils remain keen on the defender.

Bayern rejected United first approach for Benjamin Pavard, as reported on Saturday. 🚨🔴

…but Man United remain there as Benji Pavard wants the move. He won’t sign new deal at Bayern and insists to leave.

…

Manchester City great Vincent Kompany has left his post as Anderlecht head coach amid reports linking him with the vacant manager s position at Burnley.

Kompany returned to Anderlecht – whose academy he was a graduate of – in 2019 in a player-manager capacity as the club looked to rebuild, though he soon switched focus to playing duties.

A year later, in August 2020, he was appointed as the club s head coach after bringing his playing days to a close.

Anderlecht could only finish as high as fourth in the 2020-21 Belgian Pro League season, before ending the 2021-22 campaign third.

Although Kompany signed a four-year deal in 2020, he leaves the club having failed to win Anderlecht a first league title since 2016-17, with Club Brugge winning four out of …

Gary Neville has thanked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for restoring some soul at Manchester United after the Norwegian s near three-year reign at the club was brought to an end.

United confirmed Solskjaer s departure in a club statement on Sunday, a day on from a 4-1 loss at Watford that the club legend described as embarrassing .

That defeat to Watford – United s fifth in their last seven Premier League games – proved to be the final straw, with Michael Carrick taking temporary charge of the Red Devils.

Solskjaer, who was appointed on an initial caretaker basis in December 2018, leaves Old Trafford with a win percentage of 54.2 per cent across his 168 games in charge.

That is the second highest of United s four permanent managers since Alex Ferguson retired …

The sending-off of Beckham for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone during England’s last-16 penalty shoot-out defeat in France three years earlier had resulted in a huge public backlash for the then-Manchester United winger.

Beckham would go on to help United win the treble in 1999 before he became permanent captain of his country upon the arrival of Eriksson as England manager.

Ahead of England’s final World Cup qualification match against Greece, the Three Lions were still vying with Germany for top spot in Group Nine.

Greece took a shock lead at Old Trafford through Angelos Charisteas and while England substitute Teddy Sheringham levelled in the 68th-minute, the hosts’ joy was short-lived.

In to the final seconds of stoppage time. Need a g…

Prediction: Senegal to win 2-1

Best Odds:

Bookmaker:

Senegal and Cameroon will lock horns with each other in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations this week. The Group C match between Aliou Cisse’s side and Rigobert Song’s team will be held at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at Yamoussoukro in the Ivory Coast.

Senegal

Senegal have one of the best and strongest teams at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and are among the favourites for the competition. Lions de la Téranga won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and will fancy their chances of going all the way this year as well.

Aliou Cisse’s side have some of the best players in the tournament. The likes of Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhate, Abdou Diallo…

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker:

In what is a must-win Champions League showdown for both Galatasaray and Manchester United, the Red Devils will travel to Istanbul on Wednesday evening.

Galatasaray

Starting with the hosts, making what was a rampant return to winning ways over the weekend, Galatasaray will be desperate to make another Champions League statement. Picking up some perfect momentum on their return from November’s international break as they cruised their way to a 4-0 romp against Alanyaspor, Okan Buruk’s side have continued to gain a string of plaudits since opening up the 2023/24 campaign. Making real history last season as they got their hands on a first domestic crown since 2019, the Turkish heavyweights now have their sights firmly set on punching …

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker:

Two sides who will be looking to punch a stunning Premier League return on Saturday afternoon, Coventry and Luton will meet at Wembley for this season’s Championship play-off final.

Coventry

Starting with Coventry, while the Sky Blues might have been dealing with some public financial issues over recent times, Mark Robins’ side are in the midst of what has been a real fairytale story. Causing a huge semi-final upset as they clinched a second-leg 1-0 victory away at Middlesbrough, the one-time Barnsley boss finds his squad enjoying a remarkable flurry. Unbeaten in each of their last nine straight meetings against Championship opposition, it should also be highlighted that Coventry have suffered just a single defeat from any of their…

The contract binding Alphonso Davies to Bayern Munich draws ever nearer to its expiration at the end of the season. The Canadian left-back has been heavily linked with Real Madrid over the last year or so. Bayern have been trying to get him to sign a new deal but haven t been willing to meet his vast salary demands, and according to Spanish outlet , they ve now given up, resigning themselves to losing the 23-year-old without compensation.

Davies remains in the Bayern squad under head coach Vincent Kompany, and he has already made five appearances across all three competitions, producing one assists. He is apparently focused on adding more silverware to his rich collection with the Bavarian club five Bundesliga titles, two German Cups, three German Super Cups, the 2020 Champions…

David Moyes says he and West Ham made the right decision for him to leave at the end of the season.

West Ham announced on Monday that Moyes would be stepping down as their manager, with Julen Lopetegui reportedly lined up as his replacement.

The Hammers have slipped away from the European places in recent weeks, with a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea last time out extending a four-game winless run.

Speaking for the first time since the announcement, Moyes said he was comfortable with how it played out: Look, there s a lot of things in football that can be done a lot better.

But I m really comfortable with the situation. I m comfortable with the board, so at the moment, everything s fine. It s football.

I think it s the right decision for b…